How to Know When to Pick Radishes

Radishes are one of the first vegetables ready for harvest in the spring. Most varieties have a maturity date of approximately 25 days from planting, and you can sow the seeds every 10 to 14 days until the weather turns hot. Radishes are also planted in mid-summer for a fall crop. Winter storage radishes grow larger and do not mature until 50 to 70 days after planting. Edible pod radishes are grown for their seedpods, which mature in 50 days. Growing conditions affect the final maturity date, so consider the harvest dates printed on seed packets to be estimates.

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The round, red Cherry Belle radish is most familiar to gardeners.

Small Radishes

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When you plant the seeds, record the expected maturity date.

Record the expected maturity date for each radish variety the day you plant the seeds. Use a waterproof marker to write the date on a plastic row label or jot it in a notebook.

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Pull one from the ground to check on it.

Check the radishes five to seven days before the maturity date by pulling one from the ground. Harvest the sample radish by grasping the bottom of the foliage near the soil and firmly pulling upward. If the radish is 1/2 to 1 inch across, the crop is ready to harvest.

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Remove the leaves.

Remove the leaves with garden snips, wash the radishes and place them in plastic bags. They will keep for two to four weeks in the refrigerator.

Winter Radishes

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Harvest winter radishes.

Harvest winter radishes any time after the expected harvest date. You may leave them in the ground until two weeks before the first frost date in the fall.

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Grasp the folliage and pull upward.

Pick winter radishes by grasping the foliage near the soil and pulling upward.

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Store the radishes.

Store the radishes where they will remain cool and moist, for up to two months.

Edible Pod Radishes

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Pod radishes resemble green beans.

Check the plants every two to three days after the blossoms appear. The pods resemble green beans, with the lower pods ripening first.

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Radishes can be used in salads.

Harvest the pods when they are the thickness of a pencil for peak flavor. Pick a rat-tail radish by grasping the small stem at one end of the pod and bending it to the side until it snaps it off where the stem attaches to the branch.

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Radishes in soup.

Use edible pod radishes soon after picking them or store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week.